Your child must always be able to return from a bad day at school to a place where they are loved UNCONDITIONALLY!

Maybe you’ve had a bad day too.

But, that’s your job!

Parenting isn’t easy.

You cannot, you must not, try to escape your role as a parent.

Those parenting responsibilities always stay with you.

Sometimes, you may be the only person who loves your child.

Especially then, your child must hear from your lips that he/she is loved.

If not today, when?

I wrote yesterday about my friend, Stan Rhodes, who passed away recently.

He enjoyed great success in the world of business.

And yet, he had a simple slogan, “Work hard and be nice to people!”

He did both.

You can do that!

I was walking out of his memorial yesterday and saw one of the waitresses writing a message of tribute to him.

She told me Stan never treated her as a waitress.

He was always friendly and treated her like a friend.

So, she had to write him a note of thanks.

It’s so easy to be nice to people and can yield such rewards.

If not today, when?

Stan Rhodes, Age 77

Stan was born in Short Gap, West Virginia.

He joined the Army during the Vietnam War and commanded a helicopter gunship.

Although shot down four times, he never lost a man.

He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross from the U.S. Department of Defense for heroism above and beyond the call of duty.

He came home and took a job with a Savings and Loan which he eventually built into one of the largest and most successful mortgage lenders in the U.S.

I had the opportunity to have dinner with Stan and his wife shortly before his death.

Even after his life of great accomplishments, he was the same Stan.

He lived as he was raised with “Down to earth humility.”

So, the question is, “does lifestyle affect the aging process?”

Well, one of the greatest consumers of alcohol, Winston Churchill, lived to age 90!

I guess lifestyle doesn’t affect the aging process in some people.

Many feel that a person’s longevity is mostly affected by their DNA

If longevity is mostly affected by DNA, I say live your life to the fullest!

It seems that what you do, eat or drink should be enjoyed w/o worrying.

Remember, I’m not a doctor or anything close,

I am a strong believer, however, in the BUCKET LIST!

I’v had a lot of fun trying to empty my BUCKET!

I wish you good luck trying to empty yours.

My recently deceased brother believed in the sanctity of MARRIAGE.

He and his wife had a beautiful marriage.

He also believed in the sanctity of FAMILY.

And he put that belief into action too!

Of course, he was very attentive to the needs of his immediate family.

He also kept in touch with our greater family which is VERY LARGE!

He was always checking in with various members to see how they were doing.

One of our daughters spent six years trying to defeat cancer.

He surprised her by showing up at the hospital when she had a serious procedure.

He was a very good listener and displayed genuine empathy.

I know because he called me on a regular basis.

He was a good example of living the SANCTITY OF FAMILY!

How about you?

If not today, when?

Is this child smiling because of you?

Does he have a POSITIVE OUTLOOK on his future because of you?

Does he practice KINDNESS because you taught him how to be kind.

Will he become a GOOD ROLE MODEL because you are a good role model for him?

Does he understand the power of FORGIVENESS because you have forgiven him?

Does he APPRECIATE THE BLESSINGS he has?

Does he understand that OTHERS are less fortunate?

Will he have the SELF-CONFIDENCE he needs to succeed in this life?

Will he RESPECT others’ opinions because he learned it from you?

If you have done SOME of the above actions, you’ll leave this world a better place!

39th President of the United States, Nobel Peace Prize, Presidential Medal of Freedom.

A graduate of the Naval Academy, he eventually became commander of a nuclear submarine.

He taught Sunday School in Plains, Georgia, his birthplace.

He and Evelyn, his deceased wife, worked tirelessly building houses for Habitat For Humanity.

To put it simply, he gave all he had to this country.

There will never be a greater patriot that Jimmy Carter!

The Houston Rockets and forward AJ Griffin agreed to a buyout earlier in the NBA season.

On Saturday, Griffin said in a YouTube video that he was indeed retiring from the game, announcing his intention to go into “full-time ministry.”

“I gave up basketball to follow Jesus,” he said in the video.

“I know that in a lot of people’s eyes, that seems like a loss.

But I just wanted to let you guys know that I’m super excited because I truly get to serve God.” (CNN)

Now, that’s news!

Nope.

Our modern society is hard to handle.

I feel it is in a state of chaos.

The last response we need to this chaos is anger.

Particularly when dealing with our kids.

Their school is making many transitions to the new realities.

Change is difficult for all of us, especially kids.

The one refuge they need that is free of anger is home.

It doesn’t mean that parents are having an easy time because they’re not.

But, they do have a duty as parents to provide their kids with predictability and security.

That means no ANGER!

If not today, when?

China’s newest nuclear-powered submarine sank pierside in the spring and the Chinese Navy tried to conceal the loss, according to two US defense officials.

The attack submarine was the first of its new Zhou-class line of vessels, the official said, under construction at a shipyard near the city of Wuhan.

The Zhou-class submarines have a distinctive X-shaped stern, designed to improve maneuverability underwater.

A satellite image from March 10, taken by Maxar Technologies, shows the Zhou-class sub, with its signature x-shape tail, docked at the port.

Additional Maxar imagery reviewed by CNN from later in June shows that the sub did not return to the pier. (CNN)